The Thu'um
by ghostanimal
Summary: When Vlad begins a rebellion in a world called Skyrim in order to gain power, it's up to Danny to stop him. But as the dragon threat grows, he realizes his destiny as the Dragonborn and learns more about his Ghostly Wail, called a Thu'um in Skyrim, from the Greybeards. Will he succeed, even with his new faithful companions, to defeat the World-Eater and stop Vlad?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Danny Phantom! Desiree: -turns me into Butch Hartman- AHHHHHHHHH! CHANGE ME BACK CHANGE ME BACK! -is changed back-**

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><p><strong>This is more of a tester, I'm not really going to continue unless there is a high demand for it. By high demand, I mean most of the people who review want it.<strong>

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><p>Danny held his head as he slowly gained consciousness. He looked around himself, blinking slowly as things slowly came into view. He was in an old-fashioned cart, being driven by a horse. He was in a cart with three other, two of which were arguing. Loudly.<p>

"It's all your fault I'm here!" one of the ghosts were yelling at Plasmius, who had his mouth covered with a clothe and was bound with rope, just like him. "Your army is the reason I was caught."

Plasmius yelled a reply, which was muffled.

"You," the ghost that had been yelling at Plasmius was now looking at Danny. "You and I; we don't belong here. It's these Whitecloaks they want. You and I, we're innocent. We were just passing through, and the Imperial Legion just grabbed us along with them."

"Don't make yourself sound so innocent, horse thief," the fourth ghost spoke up hotly.

"If it hadn't been your damn army, I would have taken that horse to Hammerfell by now," he hissed.

"Where you from horse thief?" the previous asked.

"Why do you care?" the horse thief snapped.

"A Nord's last thoughts should always be of home," he replied honestly.

"Rorikstead," the thief half-mumbled.

"We're in Helgen," the fourth ghost remarked in surprise. "I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if she still makes her mead with those berries..."

Danny looked around, taking notice of all the stares. A few parents dragged their children inside, and he began to have a bad feeling. A very bad feeling. The cart rode around before it parked. Everybody suddenly stood, so Danny quickly followed suit. He suddenly took notice of several other carts, and many people standing in front of a man in a black mask with a huge axe-thingie, a block and a priest-holy mother of Jesus Christ he was going to be beheaded. He shifted uncomfortably as names were being called out from a list by a man and woman, probably military leaders, before it was just him and the horse thief.

"THIS IS A MISTAKE I'M NOT A WHITECLOAK!" the horse thief shrieked when, upon noticing only him and Danny remaining, searching the list to see who they missed. The horse thief suddenly made a dash for it.

"ARCHERS!"

The horse thief immediately dropped after ten arrows hit him.

"Anybody else feel like running?" the woman demanded to know. Nobody made a movement. "All right then."

"Wait, who are you?" the man asked Danny. Danny had been frantically trying to phase out or freeze and break the ropes, to no luck. He could still use his powers, but they weren't freeing him.

"Danny Phantom," he said, his voice shaking some. The man looked over the list, muttering his name over and over again and he went through the list.

"Where you from, boy?" he asked.

"Amity Park," he responded, trying to calm down. They won't find his name on the list, they wouldn't execute them if they couldn't find his name. Right?

"He's not on the list captain," he reported to the woman.

"Send him to the block," the woman responded with no hesitation.

"But he's just a kid! And he's not on the list!" he protested.

"To the block," the woman repeated herself, more firmly. The man walked up to Danny and grabbed his shoulder before pushing him towards the others that were standing around.

"Sorry kid. We'll make sure your remains get sent to Amity Park."

Danny paled. He pondered on if he should run, but he wasn't a very strong or fast runner. He'd probably trip and die by smashing his brains on a rock or get shot to death by arrows. The priest said a prayer before they executed the first victim, a young woman. Danny winced and covered his face when the head went rolling.

"Justice!" one of the half-drunken men that was watching from his front porch cried out.

"Imperial bastards!" a woman shrieked from her bedroom window.

"Death to the Whitecloaks!" another woman yelled as she sweeped her porch.

"Next prisoner," the woman called out. "The kid from Amity Park."

"I still think you'd outta reconsider. He's just a kid," the list-man tried to persuade the woman. A loud boom distracted everybody momentarily.

"I said, NEXT PRISONER!" she repeated herself even louder, glaring at Danny. Everybody snapped out by their distraction to the noise. Danny slowly walked up to the block. She gently pushed him down so that he was positioned correctly. Danny winced as he looked up at the executioner. So this was how it was gonna end. Get beheaded. Well at least Vlad was going down with him. Another boom caused everybody to pause and look around in confusion. Danny closed his eyes, silently praying that he could make it out alive before he opened his eyes to see a dragon perch on top of the building behind the executioner.

"WHAT IN OBLIVION IS THAT!" a fellow prisoner yelled.

"Dragon!" another panicked prisoner screamed.

Danny saw the dragon arch it's head before breathing fire at them. He turned intangible just in time. His vision became blinded by smoke, and he rolled off the block and stood slowly. As his vision cleared, he took notice of a few people running for shelter into another building, so he blindly followed.

"Vlad, what was that?" one of the prisoners asked him in the keep. "Is this the end? Are the legends true?"

"Legends don't burn down villages," Vlad replied. He rose an eyebrow at Danny. "Daniel, I'm surprised you came."

"I was only trying to find out what the hell you've been doing instead of terrorizing my home," Danny replied coldly.

"You don't talk to him like that!" the prisoner yelled at Danny. "He's a strong leader and he's helping us get justice!"

Danny pushed the prisoner aside.

"Vlad, I don't know what kind of mess you've made in this place-"

"Skyrim. This place is called Skyrim, Daniel."

"Okay, then whatever mess you've made here in Skyrim, I WILL clean it up and I will prevent you from screwing up anymore worlds. We don't want a repeat of what happened last time you messed around with worlds using that map," Danny hissed.

"Well, Daniel, until that day comes, I'm afraid you need me to escape right now," Vlad said pointly.

"I don't need your help to escape," Danny replied hotly. The dragon roar loudly and smashed a hole in the wall near the stairs.

"Well if you plan on escaping alone, I suggest you do it before the dragon kills you," Vlad told him with that arrogant smirk of his. Danny narrowed his eyes at him before he ran up the stairs. He looked out the window to see the dragon circling about, blowing fire, snow and more at the citizens and the guards attempting to kill the fearsome creature. With one last glare at Vlad, he jumped out the window and did a roll on the floor of the second floor of a building with the roof half-destroyed. He jumped down to the first floor and ran towards a group of soldiers that was coaxing two small children towards them. After some more talking, they dashed at them before the dragon could kill them with deathly fire.

"You still alive?" the list-man said, taking notice of Danny.

"Yes sir," he replied.

"Stick with me if you wanna stay that way," he informed him. Danny nodded as he followed the list-man. They paused, before dashing rapidly to a narrow pathway between houses. "STOP!"

Danny immediately stopped and pressed his back against the wall. The earth shook and the dragon landed, the claw right in front of Danny's face. Some sweat poured down his face as he heard the dragon's shrieks louder, before watching the dragon take off, the claw mark deeply penetrated into the dirt. The list-man grabbed Danny's arm and dragged him.

"Ralof! You damn traitor!" the list-man snarled at the man who had been sweet on the girl from this place. "Where are you going?"

"Away!" he yelled before he ran off.

"Damn Whitecloaks," the list-man growled to himself before he ran towards a building and began to open it, Danny not far behind.

With a loud boom, the list-man shut the door and shielded them off from the rest of Helgen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Danny Phantom! Desiree: -turns me into Butch Hartman- AHHHHHHHHH! CHANGE ME BACK CHANGE ME BACK! -is changed back-**

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><p><strong>Considering the game's rating, should I bump up this rating? I'll involve lots of killing, but I can censoring most of the sexual stuff and censoring the killing as much as I can.<br>**

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><p>"Do you believe that could really be a dragon? The end of all time?" the list-man wondered aloud as he rested his back on the closed door with closed eyes. After a moment, he stood up straight. "Here, let me cut those binds off. Then you can search in some of these chests, it should have some armor and clothing you can wear. You look pretty scrawny and young, but I don't think they'll be too loose or big on you. I'm Hadvar, by the way."<p>

Hadvar cut the ropes on Danny's wrists, freeing him. Danny rubbed his wrists, where the rope had cut into his skin some. He finally noticed how he was in old rags, and not his DP suit. He opened a chest, and pulled out some of the equipment Hadvar had mentioned. After a quick glance to make sure Hadvar wasn't looking, he changed into the white shirt and brown pants before Hadvar helped him put on the leather armor. He tossed the sword at him, making Danny stumble and awkwardly hold it for a moment before he held onto it tightly in his right hand. He then sheathed it into it's compartment on his armor belt.

"Ready?" Hadvar asked. Danny nodded, and Hadvar pulled a chain, revealing a secret passageway. He followed Hadvar down the hallway, where he heard voices. Hadvar immediately pulled out his sword and shield, and Danny followed, a tad slow and still awkward with the iron weapon.

Hadvar gave a battle cry and charged into a circular room, where two Whitecloaks were debating on how to leave before the dragon killed them. With a powerful swing of the arm, Hadvar immediately took one out. Danny randomly waved his sword at the other Whitecloak, only to have it immediately knocks out of his hand with their battleaxe. Danny ducked as another swing of the axe came for him. Then Hadvar came up behind him and slayed his neck with his sword. Hadvar pried the battleaxe from the corpse's hands.

"Maybe you're more of a two handed weapon man," he suggested, handing it to him.

"Uh...I'm not really...fond...of killing...especially people," Danny replied a bit awkwardly.

"Only the Dark Brotherhood is. Don't worry, it's not wrong if it's self-defense, Danny. These people aren't out to hunt or just capture you. They want to kill you, and you need to kill them first if you want to live long enough to stop Vlad and his Whitecloaks," Hadvar told him pointly. Danny gripped the two handed weapon before dropping it and picking up the sword that was knocked out of his hands.

"I'm more of a one-handed weapon," he said a bit quietly. Hadvar smiled and they continued to find their escape. Together, they walked along the path before they came upon a path. The earth roared and rumbled before the walls crumbled down the main path.

"Damn! That dragon doesn't give up easy," Hadvar mused. "It's alright, we'll just go this way."

He opened a door, then walked through. Danny followed. He saw up ahead some Whitecloaks collecting supplies. Hadvar immediately jumped into action, slashing at them. Danny fired ectoblasts at one that charged at him, then used his sword hand to slash the final blow. He did the same to the last one, before Hadvar sheathed his weapon, Danny following his lead.

"The Whitecloaks may have known good. We should see if we can find any supplies," Danny told Hadvar.

"Good idea. Start looking."

After a half hour of searching, they found a few healing potions. Hadvar opened another door leading to another room. They walked down some stairs and to Danny's disturbance, screams were loud. Very loud.

"Ugh...the torture chamber," Hadvar grumbled. "I wish we didn't need these."

Danny winced heavily and paused as Hadvar ran down, sword drawn and helped two men kill three Whitecloaks. Danny stood on the sidelines as the conversation took place, just out of ear's reach. Hadvar motioned for Danny to come over.

"Ah...a young one," the strange man replied coldly, taking notice of Danny.

"We need to leave. There is a dragon on the loose!" Hadvar argued with the man.

"I'd rather not. I have things here to attend to," he said.

"I'll come with you," the smaller man replied to Hadvar. "I'm not taking chances."

The man scoffed and waved them off.

"Run along then. But you won't find a way out."

Hadvar, the man Danny was soon told was the torturer's assistant, and Danny jogged on passed several cages. He felt queezy to his stomach at all the poor, tortured victims. They walked a bit further, seeing a ton of Whitecloaks. Hadvar and the assistant ran off to fight them as Danny looked down, taking notice of a bunch of oil that was laying on the ground from a broken lantern.

"Hadvar! Stand aside!" Danny yelled as he fired an ectoblast at the oil. Hadvar jumped aside, letting all the Whitecloaks and the poor assistant burn in the raging flames. After five minutes, the fire died and the Whitecloaks laid dead with them.

Danny ran to catch up with Hadvar as he continued on the way, lowering a drawbridge. They crossed. As soon as they dropped down into the pathway, the ground trembled again, and the pathway behind them collapsed.

"Looks like we can't go back the way we came," Danny reported. Hadvar nodded, and they walked down the stream before making a right, down into the a room filled with spiderwebs. Really big spider webs.

A giant spider suddenly jumped down from the ceiling, and it lunged at Danny. He called out in surprise and jumped to the right, before blasting him with ectoblasts. He also withdrew his sword and slashed at it. Hadvar himself was dealing with the spider's babies. After ten minutes of slashing, blasting and kicking the spiders, they finally all laid dead. Hadvar sheathed his sword once more, walking down a narrow pathway, which Danny followed. They encountered a natural bridge over a small steam, which Hadvar crossed while crouching. Danny followed suit.

"Shhh...a bear's up ahead. I'd rather not mess with it," he told Danny in a whisper. "Let's just sneak past it."

"I can take it," Danny offered. Hadvar grinned and took his bow and arrow off his back.

"If you wanna try, take the shot," he told the young halfa. Danny awkwardly fumbled with the bow for a bit before he managed to hold it properly. He lined up his sight carefully and then pulled it back slowly. After a few seconds, he released the arrow, hitting the bear. "Quick! Fire another!"

He handed Danny a second arrow, and Danny repeated the process a tad faster as the bear began to raise and charge. The second arrow was a head shot, and killed the bear instantly.

"Good shot!" Hadvar praised as Danny handed him his bow back.

"Look! There's light! It's a way out!" Danny cried out, pointing.

"Let's not stand around here like idiots then!" Hadvar replied, running for it. He slipped out, and Danny glanced back into the cave before he slipped out as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Danny Phantom! Desiree: -turns me into Butch Hartman- AHHHHHHHHH! CHANGE ME BACK CHANGE ME BACK! -is changed back-

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><p><strong>Damn, I haven't had any DP inspiration in a long time. I only managed to muster this up because it's a Skyrim crossover. I'm hoping that by writing more of this, I can get the inspiration to at least finish the DP fics I have now. I personally hate it when people don't even finish the fanfictions they started and I really don't want to become a hypocrite. <strong>

**After pondering this, I decided that Danny will be going through the main and army questline while Dani walks in the path of the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild. (Because she seemed to have turn to a semi-dirty road to survive in D-Stabilized).  
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><p>Danny began a mad dash for the outside world, only to have Hadvar grab him by the back of his neck and pull him to the ground with him. He looked up to see the dragon flying away, giving a loud shriek as it flew for the mountains.<p>

"Looks like it's gone...for now," Hadvar reported.

"Where should we go now?" Danny asked. Hadvar thought for a moment.

"I have an uncle in Riverwood, it's not that far from here," Hadvar said thoughtfully as he stood. Danny followed suit and they walked down the hills to a worn path that was placed next to a rushing river. Danny looked around as they walked down. This place, Skyrim, was absolutely beautiful. He could now kind of see why Sam was so obsessed with protecting the environment if it was really this beautiful. "I know that we just tried to kind of execute you, but I believe you really proved yourself back there. When you get the chance, you should head to Solitude and join the Imperial Legion. We could use soldiers like you."

"What exactly happened here?" Danny wanted to know.

"It's a long story, but I believe I can tell you before we get to Riverwood. Basically, the High King was challenged to a duel by the Whitecloak leader, Vlad. He...he literally _shouted_ him to death. It was quite a sight apparently. Now I did not see it, but I heard that it was truly horrifying. Months before this, Vlad has been stirring up a rebellion. I must admit that he fights for good reasons, but his reasons are lies. He just really wants power, but he gets the people of Skyrim excited with promises and things they wish for in order for their support. After killing the High King, I'm afraid a true civil war has started. Worst of all, the poor High Queen has to deal with all this new stress while mourning her husband." Hadvar sighed heavily. "Legends tell that when this conflict shall arise, the dragons will return...I always assumed that the dragons were legends my father told us when we were children. But I guess it wasn't just child's tales. I mean, how in the name of Talos are we supposed to fight _dragons!_"

"It's not hard," Danny told him. "I've fought dragons before, back home."

"You have? Where were you from again, Amity Park?" Hadvar paused walking in complete amazement.

"Uh, yeah. They've showed up...several time. We were able to send them back to where they came from," Danny explained.

"Who is we?"

"My girlfriend, best friend and I."

"Girlfriend?"

"Yeah, her name is Sam."

"Sam?"

"Uh, it's short for Samantha."

Hadvar shook his head, completely taken aback.

"Girls possessing a man's name, regular dragon appearances, and young men with hair as white as Winterhold. Amity Park sounds like no other place I've ever been to. And I've traveled to all of Skyrim. One day I must visit this...Amity Park. Where did you say it was?"

"Um...I honestly don't know how to get to Amity Park from here," Danny confessed.

"No problem. Riverwood is right here, I'm sure Uncle has a map we could look at."

By this time, Skyrim's skies had become dark with the night as millions of stars and a full moon shined. Danny was sure that he heard a few wolves howling as they entered the town.

"Uncle," Hadvar called out to a man working at a blacksmith forge.

"Hadvar! By the Gods, you look awful. What happened? And who is he?" the man asked curiously.

"Not here," Hadvar replied. "And a friend. Let's go inside."

The man nodded in agreement and led them both inside of the small, modest home. Danny suddenly felt very tired from the excitement of the day. As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted by the warmth of the home's fire. A woman and child looked curiously at him as they greeted Hadvar.

Hadvar, Danny and the uncle sat down at the table. Hadvar told his uncle the story, but Danny was feeling too drowsy to pay much attention. The woman seemed to notice and told him and Hadvar that they could sleep using some bedrolls they stored in the basement. He had simply nodded and went downstairs.

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><p>Danny had expected it to be a bizarre dream, but waking up in a fur bedroll in the basement of a Riverwood family told him that it wasn't. He sat up and went up the stairs to see Hadvar and his uncle talking. He briefly wondered how long he had been sleeping.<p>

"Ah, Danny," the uncle spoke, smiling at him. "You've done a good favor for my nephew. But I must ask something of you."

"Sure?" he said hesitantly.

"With this talk of dragons, we're in serious danger," Hadvar explained. "Would you mind going to Whiterun and asking the Jarl to send in more troops? I would, but I really must get back to Helgan to see if there are any survivors and what my unit can do at this point."

"Where's Whiterun?" Danny asked.

"Just exit north of Riverwood and follow the path until you see the stables, and just up more is Whiterun," the uncle informed him. Danny nodded.

"Stay safe," Hadvar added. "Life in Skyrim is hard."

Danny nodded and exited the house, his mind spinning. Everything was really happening. Vlad started a rebellion in some medieval town. Was it another frozen-in-time location of the Ghost Zone? It didn't look like it. No, the skies were a healthy blue instead of a dark green swirl. Everybody here was obviously alive. Did he travel back in time again?

He had no clue.

Sighing, he jumped off the ground, only to annoyingly land. He couldn't fly? Ugh, he didn't want to walk everywhere in this place.

He began his walk up north towards Whiterun. If he was stuck here, he might as well do some hero-work while he figured out how to stop Vlad, right?


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Danny Phantom! Desiree: -turns me into Butch Hartman- AHHHHHHHHH! CHANGE ME BACK CHANGE ME BACK! -is changed back-**

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><p><strong>Let me know in a review if Danny should have a companion from the Skyrim world, and if so, who and why. Any Skyrim companion you can have in-game, and I'll consider giving him up to a maximum of three companions. Anybody from Meeko to Mjoll.<strong>

**Also, I'm pretty sure I don't want to include Dani in this fanfiction. If people really want her, I'll consider her another companion or this story WILL end up into a one chapter is about Dani, and then the next is about Danny. Let me know how you feel.**

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><p>Danny walked along the worn stone path. He often looked around him, in awe of the beauty of this place. At least Vlad's schemes landed him in a place with a wicked view for once instead of the creepy, cold darkness of the Ghost Zone.<p>

The path had a river on his right and endless trees to the left before it finally let a vast landscape painted with mountains in the distance, roaming green that went on forever with the river cutting through it and an old city sitting in the middle, basking in the enchanting Skyrim land.

A few farmhouses were sitting on either side of the path as he walked down. A few people gave a second glance at him, probably because of his youth combined with his hair color. Danny continued his way up to the city gates. Two guards were standing in front of the gates, and as he approached, one walked up to him.

"Halt. City gates are closed to visitors with the dragons about," he informed Danny. Danny froze up.

"But I need to talk to the Jarl-guy!" Danny protested. "This guy, Hadvar, his uncle told me that I need to go tell the Jarl that Riverwood needs more troops."

"Really? Very well then," the guard responded. He turned and called to his fellow guard. "Let him in the gate!"

"Uh, where is the Jarl?" Danny asked in a slightly hushed tone.

"He's in Dragonsreach. Just go straight until you see the inn, then make a left and up the stairs to the tall tower-like building," the guard directed.

"Thanks," he said before walking up towards the gate. The guard opened it for him, and he slipped inside, the gate closing behind him.

There was a woman and two men talking. One of the men sat on a throne, slouched and listening to the man talk. The man standing was in nice robes and balding with a small mustache, blabbing away a mile a minute.

"My lord. Please. You have to listen," the man standing was speaking. "I only counsel caution. We cannot afford to act rashly in times like these. If the news from Helgen is true... well, there's no telling what it means."

"What will you have me do then?" the man on the throne, whom Danny began to assume was the Jarl. He noticed the crown on his head and the finer fur robes he was wearing. "Nothing!?"

The woman had taken noticed of him. She quickly withdrew her sword and approached her, narrowing her red eyes as she examined him from head to foot.

"What's the meaning of this?" she demanded to know. "Jarl Balgruuf isn't accepting visitors."

"I have news," Danny replied. He gave a slight frown as he began to try to pronounce the town he was in correctly. "Bout Helgen."

The woman stood up straight and sheathed her sword.

"Well, that explains why the guards let you in," she murmured. She stepped aside and motioned for him to go up, which he did. She followed. "My lord, this boy was at Helgen."

The Jarl looked up at him hopefully, sitting up a little straighter.

"So," he started, his hand on his chin as he examined Danny's thin frame. "You were at Helgen. You saw this dragon with your own eyes?"

"Yes. These soldiers, Imperials I think, were trying to execute Vlad and the Whitecloaks, but the dragon attacked," Danny began. "Everybody went into chaos, and pretty much everybody ran. I don't know how many died."

The Jarl sighed, putting his head over his eyes.

"I should have guessed Vlad would be mixed up in this," he said softly before forming a thoughtful expression. He turned to the man standing and addressed him. "What do you say now, Proventus? Shall we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"

"My lord," the woman interrupted hesitantly. "We should sent troops to Riverwood at once. It's in the most immediate danger, if that dragon is lurking in the mountains…"

"But my Jarl! The Jarl of Falkreath will view that as a provocation!" Proventus almost squeaked. "He'll assume we're preparing to join Vlad's side and attack him."

"Proventus, it's crucial we-" the woman began to protest.

"Enough!" Balgruuf roared, interrupted them both. "Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood immediately."

The woman, Irileth, smirked at Proventus and bowed respectively before leaving.

"We should not…," Proventus began before trailing off at Balgruuf's Look.

"I'll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!" he said firmly. Proventus bit his lip and nodded. The Jarl had his mind made up and no man nor mer could sway him.

"If you'll excuse me," he said quietly. "I'll return to my duties."

"That would b best," Balguuf agreed in an equally hushed tone before turning to Danny. "Well done. Thank you for coming to me and informing me of the troubles within my hold."

"Not a problem," Danny answered, giving a smile. "Do you need anything else?" Balgruuf looked a bit skeptical. Danny bit his lip and added, "I've fought dragons before. Back home, I defeated them."

Balgruuf's eyes sparkled with interest.

"You've dealt with dragons before," he asked in complete awe, leaning forward in his throne. Danny nodded. "Well, in that case, I do believe I could use somebody like you. What is your name, boy?"

"Danny Phantom," he replied.

"Danny Phantom," Balgruuf repeated as he began to stroll across his throne room. Danny walked beside him as Balgruff lead them to a smaller room. "Thank you again, Daniel Phantom. Come with me. I'll introduce you to Farengar, my court wizard. He can be a bit difficult. You know how mages can be. He can fill you in on the details of your next task."

Farengar was the clichéd wizard appearance, with the huge blue cloak that swallowed his thin frame. Danny couldn't see his face, but he heard the scowl when they walked in. The wizard had an alchemy and enchanting table along with a huge table, covered in open books and complicated charts and a huge map of the entire land of Skyrim hung. There were a few locations marked on it with pins and ink. He was standing behind the table, examining an open book and comparing it to a chart.

"My Jarl, I mean no disrespect, but I am quite busy with my task at hand," he immediately spoke before he could be addressed, not even bothering to look up from some charts and books.

"Farengar, this is Danny Phantom. He's fought dragons before in his homeland," Jarl Balgruuf told him. Farengar looked up at Danny and Balgruuf in amazement.

"Where do you hail?" he questioned, moving from around the table to stand in front of him.

"Amity Park," Danny replied.

"Amity Park?" Farengar repeated. Danny could now see hints of his face, his expression puzzled. "I've never heard of such a place."

"It's…next…to…uh…," Danny stammered. "The…Imperial…City?"

"That explains much," Farengar replied, smiling. "I've been to Cyrodiil much, but mainly traveled to the Imperial City. Always on court mage business. And you look Imperial too."

Danny sighed slightly in relief.

"Enough questions about his heritage," Balgruuf gently reminded. "Fill him in on your research with the dragons."

"Of course, my Jarl," Farengar responded, waving as if to wave away his previous conversation as he walked around the table again and looking at a chart. "Well, Danny, I've been looking into the research on dragons. I need you to go fetch me a tablet."

"A tablet?" Danny repeated. An image of a modern-day iPad crossed his mind.

"Yes, a stone tablet," Farengar specified. He opened a book and flipped through it before putting it down. "It should have text that looks similar to this, and it's in the shape of…" Farengar dipped an ink and made the shape of what the tablet should look like. "this. Now my sources tell me that it's in Bleak Falls Barrow." Farengar went over to the giant map on the wall and pointed it out to Danny. "It's right here. Now off with you, I need that tablet as soon as possible."

"I will be back as soon as I get it," Danny promised. Farengar nodded in approval and Danny began to walk out.

"Danny Phantom!" Balgruuf called. Danny turned, and Balgruuf motioned for him to come towards him. Danny walked towards him, a bit hesitantly. "You have no proper armor, boy."

Danny glanced down. He still had on the armor Hadvar had told him he could take from the chest. It was already pretty worn when he put it on, and Danny had just noticed how close the strap were to snapping.

"I guess not," Danny agreed.

"And your sword…I'm surprised it's not in pieces," the Jarl commented. Danny glanced down at the sword. It didn't have any sheath, so he had resorted to just tucking it into the belt. "Proventus!"

"Yes, my Jarl," Proventus said, stepping forward.

"Take a short letter," Balgruuf said. Proventus scrambled to prepare himself for a note, setting out parchment and dipping a quill in some ink. "Write to your daughter, tell her to fit our young friend here in some proper, sturdy armor and give him a weapon word swinging. Inform her to put it on my personal tab."

"My Jarl!" Proventus exclaimed. He stood and rushed to Balgruuf's side. He whispered to him, but Danny could still hear. "Are you sure it's wise to do this for a young boy we know nothing about? What if he just takes his leave or dies? As your advisor and steward, I beg you to really think about this."

"This boy has came to us and told us of a problem so that we can ensure the safety of an entire town," Balgruuf replied in an equally hushed tone. "He's fought dragons before, he's willing to help Farengar, and…you can just tell that this boy has a good heart. I have faith in him."

"Of course, my Jarl," Proventus breathed heavily. "Apologies, my Jarl."

"Not at all," Balgruuf replied, waving a hand. "Write it up, give my seal and hand it to Danny."

Proventus nodded and scrawled out a letter. When it was done, he lightly fanned it in hopes of quickly drying the ink before folding it and sealing with it the Jarl's seal. He then stood and handed it to Danny.

"Give this to Adrianne Avenicci," Balgruuf instructed. "She's the owner of Warmaiden's. She will give you everything you need."

"Uh…do you have a map I can use?" Danny requested. Balgruuf nodded, looking over at Proventus as he began to search the drawers for a spare one. He handed two folded pieces of papers to Danny. "Thank you."

"I expect you to return soon," he lightly warned Danny. The halfa nodded. Proventus was motioning lightly at him, and Danny suddenly bowed lightly in respect before walking towards the doors.

"Wait, the Imperial City is a real place? And a race?" he asked himself, pausing before he opened the door and left.

Danny glanced out at city and took a deep breath of the surprisingly very fresh air. He began to walk down the steps, passing a guard and looked around. Where was Warmaiden's? There were a few people walking about, some people shouting from their stalls about their merchandise and children laughing.

He walked slowly around the town, reading the signs until he came across a woman standing over a forge. Warmaiden's.

"Uh…hello?" Danny spoke aloud. The woman was sweating as she pulled a piece of metal from the heat, dipping it into the pool of dirty water before beginning to pound on it.

"We have plenty of weapons in the store," she told him, giving a small, friendly smile as she continued to pound and beat the metal into a specific form.

"I was told to give you this," he said, handing her the sealed letter. She took her gloves off, wiped some soot and sweat off with her apron and accepted it. Adrianne read it before closing it and putting it into her apron pouch.

"Alright then," she said, clasping her hands together as she glanced up and down his form. "Let's start with some armor. Come inside, let's see if we have anything that will fit you before we get customizing."

Danny followed her inside. The inside of the shop was lined with armor and weapons, and a man behind the counter. He was tall with a thick beard and flowing hair and in armor with a war axe sitting in front of him.

"Ulfberth, can you see if we have any armor for this boy?" Adrianne requested. "It'll be on the Jarl's tab, and there are orders to give the best we have."

"What race are you?" Ulfberth asked. Seeing Danny's wide-eyed expression, he quickly added, "We don't discriminate. It's just that some armor fits some races better than others, and it's also helpful for finding your size."

"I'm…Imperial?" Danny half-guessed. Ulfberth nodded, looking completely understanding. He went into a backroom and came out with some iron armor.

"I need to get back to the forge," Adrianne told Danny. "Ulfberth will help you with whatever you need.

"Come stand here, and I'll help fit you," he instructed as Adrianne disappeared outside.

Danny stepped forward. He began to take off his armor with Ulfberth's help. When the last piece fell to the floor, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck before Ulfberth began to strap an iron breastplate onto his chest.

"It feels a bit loose," Danny commented, unsure. Ulfberth chuckled deeply.

"Never had armor before, huh, boy?" he guessed. Danny gave a sheepish grin. "First rule of armor; it always needs to be loose enough that you can move, but not so loose that it simply falls off. You can adjust or have most armor modified to fit through the straps, so you normally need to worry length-wise if armor fits. Second rule, don't wear more armor than what you can comfortably carry. It can get heavy. I'm surprised some people can wear heavy armor."

"What kind of armor am I wearing?" Danny questioned as he began to put on the thick leather pants.

"You have iron armor on," Ulfberth explained. "It's quite light compared to most other solid armor. Rule of thumb is the better the armor, the heavier it is. You don't look like you weigh much, let alone carry much, so I think this the best you can do now, but come back in a few months I'll help you fit into some steel."

Danny smiled lightly as Ulfberth handed him the iron boots, which he easily slipped on and strapped tightly. Ulfberth then showed him how to put on the iron gauntlets before handing him a helmet, which Danny shook his head to.

"I'm not much of a helmet guy," he explained.

"Are you sure?" Ulfberth questioned, still offering it to him. Danny nodded, and Ulfberth shrugged his shoulders before putting it on the counter. "What kind of weapons man are you?"

"One handed," Danny replied confidently. Ulfberth glanced through his weapons before handing him a small dagger and a sword, both hidden away in a sheath that went around his waist.

"Steel," he told Danny.

"I don't think I need this," Danny said, holding up the dagger.

"Another rule of thumb is that you always carry a dagger for a back-up," Ulfberth insisted. Danny nodded understandingly, and he tucked it away in his gauntlet. He strapped the sword around his waist until it comfortably sat on his left side. Ulfberth took a step back to fully examine Danny in his armor. "There you go. You're ready to go slay some drauger!"

Danny smiled. He wanted to ask what a drauger was, but he decided to stay silent and not make himself look even more like an outcast.

"What's my bill total?" he wondered.

"Don't worry," Ulfberth assured him. "The Jarl said to put it on his own personal tab."

"I wouldn't feel right letting somebody else pay for it," Danny insisted. "I want to pay him back when I get the chance."

"A man who insists on paying back his debts," Ulfberth smiled. "That's a man with real honor."

Danny grinned back. Ulfberth went to the store's ledger and began to mark up the sales. He murmured to himself as he began to tall up the cost of Danny's armor.

"238 coin," he responded.

"238 coin," Danny repeated, committing it to memory.

"Stay safe out there," Ulfberth warned.

"I will," Danny replied, stepping out the door. "Goodbye! And thanks!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Danny Phantom! Desiree: -turns me into Butch Hartman- AHHHHHHHHH! CHANGE ME BACK CHANGE ME BACK! -is changed back-**

* * *

><p>Danny stared at the map. After much examination, he groaned in annoyance when he realized that he pretty much nearly had to go back the way he came. He glanced up at the sky, noticing that it was slowly growing dark. It'd have to wait until morning, it would be dark before he reached Riverwood. He had no clue where he was going, and he did not want to discover the dangers that lurked in the night here.<p>

He turned back towards the inner town. He remembered seeing an inn, and sure enough, it was right in front of him. Then, he paused.

"I don't have any gold," he remembered, murmuring aloud to himself. His stomach also rumbled a little. Glancing around, he noticed that there were still market stalls open. He would never steal, but maybe if he talked to a few, explained he had no money, maybe they'd give him a piece of fruit that didn't sell or something.

"I'm glad I took your advice, Ysolda," a dark haired woman was telling a short-haired blonde. The blonde had a light blue dress and a basket, facing the woman in red and yellow behind the counter. "Those apples sold quickly, and I _tripled_ my original price."

"I'm telling you, Carlotta, those apples are too delicious to resist!" the blonde, Ysolda, replied with a smile.

"Do you have any advice on how I should stop Mikael from bothering me?" she teased, and Ysolda laughed.

_Maybe if I stop this Mikael, she'll be willing to give me one of those apples she's talking about,_ Danny wondered. He smiled, and he walked up.

"Uh, hi!" Danny said, walking up to the stall. The women looked at him curiously.

"May I help you?" the dark haired, Carlotta, asked.

"More like, may I help you," Danny smiled. "I think I can help you with this Mikael guy."

"Really?" Carlotta asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm serious here, kid. The arrogant bard keeps going on about how he'll '_conquer _her as a true Nord conquers any harsh beast.' Please. I'm just not interested. My number one priority is my daughter."

"I'm serious too!" Danny insisted. "Look, if I help get this guy to stop chasing you, will you...oh, I don't know...give me one of those apples you two were talking about?"

They glanced at each other before looking at Danny's innocent smile.

"Come back when it's done, and I'll give you a little something," she promised.

"Deal!" Danny agreed. "So uh, where is Mikael?"

"He's the Bannered Mare bard," Ysolda told him, pointing to the inn. Danny nodded, walking inside of the inn.

The air was a warm and filled with the smell of food and spices. It made his stomach grumble more with hunger as he walked further in. He saw a man standing near the fire, strumming a lute and singing a soft tune.

Danny sat down at a table.

"May I help you?"

Danny glanced up at a dark-skinned woman standing near him. She looked a little sweaty, but smiled almost flirty at him.

"I'm just waiting for a friend," he lied. She nodded and walked away.

When Mikael's tune came to an end, he gently set the lute against a chair and walked over to the bar. Danny stood, walking up to him. He felt himself feel a little nervous as he tapped his shoulder. Mikael turned his attention to him.

"Do you need something?" he asked, examining him up to down.

"Yes," Danny said firmly, standing a little straighter. "I need you to leave that stall vender, Carlotta, alone."

"I'm sorry, but that fiery widow is mine. She just doesn't know it yet," Mikael replied with a small chuckle, bringing his attention back to the woman behind the counter. "Sorry, Hulda, can I get a glass of-"

He was interrupted by Danny grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to look at him.

"She's not yours," he informed him. He felt his eyes glow brighter at him. "This isn't a discussion, this is not a request or a debate either. It's a _demand_. Leave Carlotta alone, or else."

"Or else, what?" Mikael growled. Danny glared at him.

"Do you really wanna know?" Danny asked back.

"How about we just settle this the old-fashioned way?" Mikael asked. Danny noticed the bard's hands balled up into fists, and he copied the actions. "A good old bar brawl. No weapons, no magic, no potions, no kicks. Just fists."

"You're on!" Danny grinned. Mikael smirked and swung a punch at Danny, which he blocked with his fists. Danny immediately responded with a punch, hitting his eye.

"Come on, put your hands up!" one of the patrons growled at Mikael, who threw another punch at Danny. It hit his cheek and he stumbled backwards a little.

"I got twenty gold on the bard!" another shouted, throwing said gold on the table.

"Hey!" Danny exclaimed, allowing Mikael to throw another punch. Danny grumbled before throwing a powerful punch at Mikael. It hit his jaw, sending him stumbling backwards and into a post. Danny hit him two more times before Mikael slid down to the floor, breathing heavily. Danny put his fists down and knelt down some, giving the bard a worried look. Did he accidentally use some ghostly strength? "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Mikael said, wheezing some. He began to wipe some blood from his nose. Danny winced. He must have broken it. Mikael grinned slightly. "You know how to throw a punch, I'll give you that. On my honor, Carlotta won't have to worry about me again."

"Promise?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. He took a clothe napkin from a nearby table and gave it to Mikael, who winced as he put it on his nose.

"Promise," Mikael said. "I don't want to have to worry about you hunting me down."

Danny chuckled lightly at that. He stood up, holding a hand out to Mikael. He grasped the ghost boy's hand, allowing him to help pull him to his feet. He grabbed the bard's arm, preventing him from stumbling back down.

"Sorry," Mikael apologized. "Feeling a little light-headed now. You got some power for such a scrawny kid."

Danny flushed in embarrassment at the comment, but didn't reply. He instead directed the man to a seat, helping him seat. The woman from behind the bar, Hulda was it?, came over with some water. She took the napkin from Mikael to dip in the water, gently rubbing the blood from his nose. He winced from the pain and her light scolding to not do such foolish things such as underestimate the power of others and chasing after women who clearly had no interest in him.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Danny asked. Mikael was still wheezing slightly, and it worried him a little.

"I've had worse," he assured him. "You're not the first to come after me over a lady."

"Isn't the first time a hint to not do it again?" the ghost boy asked him. Mikael gave a small laugh.

"You'd think," he replied. "Hey, let me buy you a drink."

"Another time," Danny promised, putting a hand up. "I need to talk to Carlotta, then I have some business near Riverwood."

"Well, whenever you can, come back and have a drink with me," Mikael told him. Danny just nodded before leaving the inn.

_Wow. My first bar brawl. And I'm sixteen._ He chuckled lightly at that. _At least I won._

Carlotta was still with Ysolda, chatting away. The sky had grown a few shades darker, but there was still enough light for her stall.

"Mikael will not bother you again!" Danny called out to her as he strolled over. Carlotta's eyes grew wide as she gave him a look of disbelief.

"Really?" she asked, tilting her head. Danny nodded. "You convinced that lute player to stop chasing me?"

"On his honor, he'll leave you alone," he repeated his words.

"I'd thank the gods," she sighed in relief. Ysolda giggled. "But I'll settle for thanking you instead. Here's your apple, and take this gold."

Danny smiled, accepting both. He took a bite of it, and Carlotta and Ysolda both burst into laughter at his expression.

"This is the best apple I've ever tasted," he confessed, quickly taking two more bites.

"Where are you from?" Ysolda asked him, watching him devour the apple. "I've never seen you before. Are you a traveler?"

"Somewhat," he half-lied, swallowing. "I'm going to leave in the morning for some business near Riverwood."

"What kind of business do you have?" Carlotta wondered. "Is it a shop?"

"Uh, no. It's more of a...classified business...the Jarl asked me personally to assist him with some classified business near Riverwood," Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Where are you from?"

Danny scowled slightly at all the questions.

"Amity Park." Seeing their confused expressions, he added, "It's uh...near the Imperial City?"

"Oh, wow! The Jarl sent for you all the way from _there_?" Ysolda gasped lightly. "You must be very important."

"Uh, not really," he said, flushing lightly as he bite again into his apple. "I'm just...the only one with experience with a...classified...thingie."

"Very impressive!" Carlotta praised. "When do you leave tomorrow?"

"Early," he told her. She smiled.

"Well, come on by, and I'll give you a little breakfast and a little food for your journey," she told him. She held up a hand to stop a protest that was about to leave him. "I insist. Such an important young man to the Jarl would need some good food on a journey. Plus, you did help me with Mikael."

"Would...would that little food include more of these apples?" Danny asked, flushing more as he held up the nearly gone apple. She laughed.

"I'll be sure to pack you a few," she promised, smiling. Danny grinned.

* * *

><p>Danny rented an inn room. He counted out the gold Carlotta gave him, just a little under 230 after paying for the room. Putting it back in it's pouch, he tucked it away in a safe location, removed his armor, turned into his human half and got into bed.<p>

The next morning, he woke up early. He ran some water over his face and washed his hands before changing back. He pulled the armor on over his DP suit, made sure his extra dagger was hidden and pocketed his gold and the map before going down the stairs to Hulda. He thanked her before leaving a small tip.

Carlotta, as promised, had a small bag with food for his journey. They exchanged thanks, his was for the food and hers was for Mikael before he exited the gates.

He looked out at Skyrim. It was so...enchanting. The world was still dark, but the sun showed the faintest hint of rising soon. By the time he'd find Bleak Falls Barrow, it would certainly be high in the sky. Danny shook his head. He had a quest to do for the Jarl.

Speaking of Jarls...

Where was Vlad, a Jarl wannabe?

Danny hadn't seem him since the dragon attack. He needed to find out where Vlad was and fast. He had no clue what Vlad did in this world, but it seemed much more serious than that time with the Infi-Map. In his world, he hadn't seen Vlad in nearly two months. He probably had two months to do God knows _what_ here.

He felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.

The Infi-Map!

Danny immediately checked his pockets, even though he knew it was there. He had to return it! Danny promised to return it once he located Vlad! He must have dropped it when that Imperial raid happened.

Could this get **_any_** worse?

He sighed, adjusting the food bag on his shoulder as he began to walk. Just standing here, being unproductive would do him no good. Maybe if he got on Jarl Balgruuf's side, he'd help him locate Vlad or at least find the Infi-Map! As he reached the bottom of the small hill, he glanced at the horse stables. How much was a horse? He glanced to his other side. A small camp with a bunch of furry people-_were they **cats?**_-was set up. One was sitting in front of a tent, watching the passer-by while another was cooking. A third was watching the one cooking, in battle armor and the last one was skinning a hide.

Danny went to the stables. A man sitting on a stool, bend over as he carved a small piece of wood, glanced up at him.

"Can I help you?" he asked, glancing at the young halfa.

"How much is a horse?" Danny inquired. One of the horses, a pure black one, neighed at him, nudging his shoulder. Danny smiled, petting the horse's nose. It snorted at him, making him jump slightly.

"Looks like Allie likes you," the man smiled, standing. He patted her neck.

"Is that her name?" Danny asked. "Allie?"

The horse's ears moved, and she looked at him, snickering lightly as if to tell him yes.

"We call her Queen Alfsigr, or Allie for short," he explained. "All our horses are a thousand, but all are good, strong and disease-free."

"Uh...I don't quite have that much," he blushed lightly. "Um...I'll be back after I work for some more gold."

"I'll be seeing you then," the man replied, looking a tad disappointed. He felt Allie a carrot, scratching her neck more before sitting down and continuing his carving.

Danny walked out and down the path back towards Riverwood. Once at Riverwood, he was sure he could find somebody who could lead him to Bleak Falls.

* * *

><p>After more direction asking and close map examination, Danny found himself walking up the path towards his goal.<p>

He jumped when an arrow suddenly whistled past him. Looking ahead, he turned intangible just in time for another arrow to pass through his chest.

"Least I haven't lost that power," he muttered to himself. "I wonder..."

"Where'd he go?" one of the people yelled aloud. Danny smirked, running past them all, invisible before phasing through the doors of the area.

"Okay, so Farengar told me that it should be in here," he murmured. "Just gotta figure out where it is."

He turned visible and began to walk forward. He saw two people in the distance, and he crouched, sneaking up so that he could hear their conversation.

"So, we're just supposed to sit here while Arvel runs off with that golden claw?" the first snarled.

"That dark elf wants to go on ahead, let him," the girl huffed. "Better than us risking our necks."

"What if Arvel doesn't come back?" the man wondered. "I want my share from that claw!"

"Just shut it and keep an eye out for trouble."

Danny turned invisible again and snuck past them with ease. He went down the tunnel before turning visible again. This place was spooky. It was cold and dreary. Cobwebs and bugs were crawling all over the place, and it seemed huge. How was he supposed to find a stupid tablet? Who knew how big it even was?

He sighed, continuing his way. He paused, walking more carefully when he took notice of a man walking towards a handle. He pulled it, and a group of arrows from the walls flew at him, striking him. The man coughed, groaned before laying motionless on the ground. Danny ran down to check his pulse. He was already dead.

_This place is just crawling with death,_ he shivered. He stood up. Turning intangible, he walked through the gate.

He walked up in front of him at a small table. There was a chest, glass vial with green liquid and a gem. He picked up the gem and examined it in his hands. It was pretty. He pocketed it before picking up a dusty book. It was labeled _Thief_. He glanced through it before putting it back down.

"What the hell was that?" he asked himself when he heard some noises. He turned around and saw the biggest rat he had ever seen before in his entire life, glaring death at him.

He yelled, holding his hands out in front of him. Ecto-blasts blasted the creature away, and Danny took notice of the spiral stairs. He ran for it, only to see more of the rats. He blast them off, one by one with an ecto-blast before hitting the bottom.

"Ugh!" he spat out as he got stuck in a cobweb. He used some ectoenergy to burn a lot of it away before containing his walk. He kept an eye out for the tablet.

"Is... is someone coming?" a timid voice called out fearfully. Danny stopped in his tracks. "Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Soling? I know I ran ahead with the claw, but I need help!"

Danny rushed towards the voice, but got tangled in another cobweb. He burst this one with ecto-energy too. Why were there cobwebs all over the damn place!? He used his sword to cut through some more cobwebs that blocked an entrance into an abandoned room. Strolling in, he saw the source of the voice.

A man with grey skin and frightened red eyes was trapped in cobwebs, dressed in leather armor. Danny began to walk towards him.

"Help me!" he pleaded. "Kill that monster!"

"What monster?" Danny asked him. Before the man could answer, a spider landed in front of him. Not just a tiny spider. A spider that was bigger than the GAV.

He screamed in understandable fright. The spider launched for him, but he put up a dome shield just in time. The spider crashed into the dome, bouncing back slightly. He put the dome down and froze the spider. The spider completely paused in it's movement, encased in ice.

"You stopped it!" the man cried out. "Cut me down before anything else shows up! Or before that thing thaws!"

"It's so cold in here, I think you shouldn't worry about that thing thawing," Danny replied. "Where's the golden claw?"

"Yes, I have the claw," he said, hurriedly. "I know how it works. The claw, the markings, the door in the Hall of Stories. I know how they all fit together! Help me down, and I'll show you. You won't believe the power the Nords have hidden there."

"Calm down, I'll free you in a few," Danny assured him. He took out his dagger and began to cut away at the cobwebs.

"Sweet breath of Arkay, thank you," he told him, looking relieved as Danny slowly loosened him from his webby-prison. He cut the last piece, and the man sighed in relief. "

There you go. Now, how do you work the claw?"

"You idiot!" the man hissed, instantly taking off down the hallway. Danny stood there, stunned, before running after him. "I'm keeping the claw and it's treasures for _myself!_"

"Hey! Get back here!" Danny yelled after him. He saw the man just shortly ahead of him. He ran into an opening, surrounded by skeletons and coffins. The man paused slightly, and Danny slowed down.

"Oh, no! Drauger!" he yelled in fear. Danny turned slightly to see what he was seeing, and he yelled in fright himself.

One of the skeletons, dressed in some armor and holding a huge greatsword, was stumbling towards them, swinging. He moaned and spoke a foreign tongue to them. The eyes were glowing blue. Two

"Fusrodah!" one spat out at Danny. The result was the teen to fly backwards and hit the wall. He winced as he saw a lifeless skeleton arm fall in his lap. He threw it at the drauger.

It hit him in the face, and the drauger swung at him blindly. Danny turned intangible, barely missing a hit before jumping up. He punched the drauger, causing the head to fly off. It dropped to its knees, and it fell over, ceasing movement. He shot an ecto-blast at the second drauger, which caused a small bone explosion. The third one he took out with his sword.

Danny glanced down, and he saw that the man laid on the floor, dead.

_This place is violent,_ he observed. He reached down. The man had a small bag, which he opened. Inside was a book and a golden claw, which he picked up. He flipped through the book. Only one page had any writing on it.

_My fingers are trembling. The Golden Claw is finally in my hands, and with it, the power of the ancient Nordic heroes. That fool Lucan Valerius had no idea that his favorite store decoration was actually the key to Bleak Falls Barrow._

_Now I just need to get to the Hall of Stories and unlock the door. The legend says there is a test that the Nords put in place to keep the unworthy away, but that "When you have the golden claw, the solution is in the palm of your hands."_

Danny sighed. He laid the book back down. He took the simple clothe bag that the man had, almost like a one-strapped backpack and dumped it's contents out. Danny mentally debated for a few moments before keeping the ten gold the man had on him. He put it in the small bag with his other gold before resting it inside alongside the golden claw and his Skyrim map. The bag was buttoned and on his back, snuggled in between his back and the armor so that it couldn't be slashed during battle.

After adjusting himself, he began to continue on. He avoided a spiked wall trap before turning invisible and intangible, rushing through a swinging blade tunnel and other draugar, rushing until he reached a little cave with a waterfall. It flowed down past a caged door with a handle next to it. Danny had just pulled it when another drauger popped out of an upright coffin. He quickly went with the flow of the water, pulling on the handle again and reclosing the gate. The drauger angrily banged on the gate with his sword. Danny smiled before walking calmly down the river. His feet were a little soaked through his boots, but decided that he'd dry them out when he reached the outdoors. Danny paused when he noticed that he couldn't go any further.

The water was able to flow under a bunch of rocks and towards who knows where. It was nowhere near close enough for Danny to squeeze through. It was a dead end.

Danny began to walk back upstream before glancing to his left. There was a narrow tunnel, just wide enough for him. He rushed towards it before slipping through. The path widened, and he found himself going down another pathway, on a bridge halfway between the top and bottom of a water fall.

"Damn it!" he hissed to himself as he noticed a drauger, and the drauger noticed him.

It growled, raising it's sword and coming after him. Danny blasted it with an ecto-blast, causing a mini-bone explosion once more.

"How come I can use intangibility, invisibility and ecto-blasts, but not fly?" he complained to himself. He sighed before making his way down the bridge and into another pathway that lead him into another small room. A drauger was guarding a door.

The drauger looked different than the others. It looked a lot more powerful, more...menacing. he weighed his options before finally turning invisible and phasing through the door.

For a short while, he just kept phasing through swinging blades. He then came upon a room. Two drauger immediately noticed him. One began to shoot arrows, which Danny dodged. He noticed the shining of oil, and he blasted it with ecto-blast. It immediately began to roar into flames, which the second drauger ran into. The other wisely stayed away, choosing to shoot arrows. Danny dodged and phased through them until the fire died down, in which he ran at the archer drauger with his sword. With one hard, smooth swing, he cut it in half and it fell to the ground in a pile of bones and arrows.

_How big is this place?_ he wondered as he put his sword away and walked up the stairs and across another bridge.

He pushed an iron door open before wandering inside. This hallway was not dirt and cobwebs, but instead carved stone with ancient-looking drawings. It lead to a large door with circles. Each circle had a selection of animals.

Danny glanced at the claw, then back at the circles.

"Okay, so this obviously goes here," he mused, putting the claw into the area. He pressed against it and tried to turn it, but it wouldn't budge.

He studied the claw for nearly ten minutes before he saw a connection. The order of the animals on the claw and the wall must have to line up.

Danny did this, and the wall opened flawlessly. He put the claw back into his bag before continuing his way.

A few bats flew at him, so he ducked before he walked forward and over a little bridge. There was a large wall with strange etched carved into it. A small portion of it was glowing blue. He walked up a few steps. There was a chest, and a sarcophagus, but otherwise nothing. Why was that portion blue?

He moved forwards to examine it. The glow seemed to float towards him, circling him.

Danny jumped, turning when he heard a crash. A powerful-looking draugr had burst through the sarcophagus. Danny immediately began to blast at him with ecto-blasts. The draugr stumbled backwards before rushing towards Danny.

"Fusrodah!" it grumbled. Danny flew backwards against the carved wall. He sent another ecto-blast, but he missed and the draugr slashed his shoulder. The armor protected him, but he punched him backwards in time to grab his sword. It took two powerful swings and dodging a swing before the draugr collapsed.

Danny knelt down, noticing something weird amongst the bone pile that used to be a deadly skeleton. He brushed away some of the bone dust and armor to find the tablet in the shape that Farengar drew for him. He examine it. It had weird writing that matched the carvings on the wall. He studied it a bit more before he turned intangible. He walked through the walls of Bleak Falls Barrow until he hit the side of the mountain. He trekked his way down, the tablet tucked away in his bag before walking back to Whiterun.

* * *

><p>"You see? The terminology is clearly First Era or even earlier," Farengar insisted. "I'm convinced this is a copy of a much older text. Perhaps dating to just after the Dragon War. If so, I could use this to cross-reference the names with other later texts."<p>

"Good. I'm glad you're making progress," the strange woman replied with a small sigh of relief. "My employers are anxious to have some tangible answers."

"Oh, have no fear!" Farengar assured her with a huge smile. "The Jarl_ himself _has finally taken an interest, so I'm now able to devote most of my time to this research."

"Time is running, Farengar, don't forget," she informed him, a small frown. She didn't looked amused or excited by his news. "This isn't some theoretical question. Dragons have come back."

"Yes, yes," he sighed irritably, reminding him of his sister. "Don't worry. Although the chance to see a living dragon up close would be tremendously valuable... Now, let me show you something else I found... very intriguing... I think your employers may be interested as well..."

"You have a visitor," she interrupted him, staring at Danny, who blushed. He didn't mean to walk in mid-conversation.

"Hm?" Farengar spoke, looking up to Danny. His face lit up. "Ah, yes, the Jarl's protege! Back from Bleak Falls Barrow? You didn't die, it seems."

"I have your tablet," Danny said, cautiously holding it up for him to see. Farenger immediately took it from him.

"Thank you!" he chirped.

"Farengar! Daniel!"

Danny saw Irileth rush towards them.

"What is it?" he asked.

"There's been a sighting of a dragon at Whiterun's Western Watchtower," she explained. "The Jarl wants you to meet with him. Come with me!"

Farengar immediately set the tablet on the table, and he and Danny rushed after Irileth up the stairs. The Jarl was talking to one of the guards.

"So, Irileth tells me you came from the western watchtower?" he began.

"Tell him what you told me," the dark elf cut in. "About the dragon."

"Uh... that's right," the guard replied nervously. "We saw it coming from the south. It was fast... faster than anything I've ever seen."

"What did it do? Is it attacking the watchtower?" Balgruff asked.

No, my lord," was the reply along with a head shake. "It was just circling overhead when I left. I never ran so fast in my life... I thought it would come after me for sure."

"Good work, son," Balgruuf lightly praised. "We'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest. You've earned it. Irileth, you'd better gather some guardsmen and get down there."

"Thank you," the guard said, which was unheard because Irileth was already talking.

"I've ordered my men to muster near the gate," she said.

"Good," Balgruuf smiled before turning serious. "Don't fail me." He turned to Danny. "There's no time to stand on ceremony, my friend. I need your help again."

"Whatever you need, sir," he politely replied.

"Good, boy!" he exclaimed. "I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this Dragon. You survived Helgan and you've fought them before, so you have more experience with dragons then anyone else here. But I haven't forgotten the service you did for me in retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar. As a token of my esteem, I have instructed Avenicci that you are now permitted to purchase property in the city. And please accept this gift from my personal armory."

Balgruuf turned around walked to the wall. He took an axe off of the wall and handed it to Danny. It seemed to shine blue.

"It's enchanted, it also does frost damage," he told him. "Now go! Hurry!"

Danny nodded, and he was about to run off before he turned back to Balgruuf. He struggled for a moment before reaching into his bag and pulling out the gold. He held it out to the Jarl, who stared at it.

"What is this, boy?" he asked, picking it up.

"It's the 238 for the armor and weapons," he said, gesturing to himself. The Jarl shook his head and handed it back, but Danny didn't accept it. "I know, you put it on your tab but I'd rather pay you back for your kindness."

"You repaid me by fetching the tablet and fighting the dragon," he reminded him. "Keep it, boy. You need to eat tonight."

Danny smiled and hesitantly accepted it back before putting it in his bag and running out of the door.

Jarl Balgruuf turned to Proventus.

"See?" he told his steward. "That's a true example of a real man."

"You have a good judge of character, sir," Proventus told him, smiling slightly but still a tad irked that he was wrong.

"I should go along," Farengar spoke up to the Jarl. "I would very much like to see this dragon."

"No," the Jarl said, shaking his head. "I cannot afford to risk loosing my court wizard, Irileth and this new boy. I need you here working on ways to defend the city against these dragons."

Farengar looked upset, but nodded and went back to his studies.

* * *

><p>Danny breathed heavy, chasing after the others. It was beginning to get dark, and he knew that if it got too dark that they were doomed against a dragon. In Amity Park, it was fine because of all the lighting they had, but here he could only see small flickers of light in the darkness. They were vulnerable.<p>

Once they got closer, he saw that the watchtower was burned and smoking some.

"A dragon's attacked it recently," he spoke up, pointing to it. Irileth narrowed her eyes.

"You're right," she said. "Search for survivors! Put out any fires you see!"

Danny followed her orders, running towards a fire and blasting some of his ice powers at them. They smothered under the ice before turning into smoke to accompany the other existing ones.

A few guards were lighting fires onto torches in order to examine the area. Danny used his ectoenergy to form an unfired ecto-blast as his light. He noticed a ramp that lead up into the tower.

"They're all dead!" a guard called out. Danny began to walk up the ramp. A man peered out at the sound of the voice.

"I found a survivor!" Danny yelled. He saw Irileth run towards them.

"It...it just came out of the trees and attacked," the man stammered. As Danny moved a little closer, he noticed the burn marks on his hands, his left shoulder and the left side of his head.

"You should sit down," Irileth advised him. The man was obviously quite shaken, but he allowed the dark elf to gently guide him down the steps. Everybody froze in their tracks at the sound of a loud, booming roar.

"Kynareth save us," the man spoke under his breath in terror. "Here he comes again!"

Everybody stared at the orange and pink sky as a dragon's form appeared.

"Take cover against the attacks!" Irileth shouted. "Make every arrow count!"

Danny's eyes flashed even more green as he began to prepare ecto-blasts as he ran up the tower staircase. He heard the dragon roar and the sound of fire crinkling. He ran faster until he reached the top. He fired charged ecto-blasts at the dragon. It hit their target, but did little effect.

"Take out the wings!" Danny yelled down at them. "Take out the wings, and he'll have to land, and we can attack better!"

_If I could fly, I could just punch the stupid thing into the ground,_ he mentally scowled but shook his head and fire a few ectoblasts at the dragon's wings.

The men were firing arrows and ducked behind rubble when the dragon blew fire right back at them. It roared, circling overhead. Danny turned intangible when the fire blasted the tower before firing back at him with ecto-blasts.

He noticed two archers had come up the tower at well and were firing rapidly at the wings, hitting them more than missing.

It took a half hour of firing arrows and ecto-blasts for the dragon to crash into the ground, one of the wings finally completely useless. Danny and the two archers ran down the stairs to accompany the others in close-combat. The archers kept their distance, firing at the dragon. Danny got up closer, still firing at him but also punching him with his superhuman strength. A few times he slashed the dragon with his sword, but his ectoblasts proved to work better against the rough scales.

It was pitch dark, minus the stars and torches, when somebody finally delivered the final blow. Nobody was sure who, but the dragon roared painfully before he finally collapsed on the ground, completely motionless.

Danny and a few others moved closer to investigate it until it burst into flames. They jumped back, and it quickly died out, leaving just the skeleton. The skeleton glowed before it began to move towards Danny.

The halfa cautiously stepped back, but, to everybody's amazement, it encircled him and seemed to absorb into his skin.

"I can't believe it," a guard breathed. "You're...you're Dragonborn."

"I'm what born?" Danny asked, looking at the last bit of glowing that went into his skin before it dulled to it's normal color.

"Dragonborn," he repeated.

"The Dragonborn is a myth," Irileth scowled.

"No, the legends must be true! He absorbed that dragon's soul!" another guard cried out. Danny shivered. That sounded...creepy. Like Box Lunch creepy.

"It's a legend for a reason," another scoffed. "Legends are legends."

"Try shouting," the first guard suggested. "If you truly are Dragonborn, you can shout."

Danny raised an eyebrow. Was he talking about his ghostly wail?

"Uh, okay," he said a little slowly. He turned to where they were no guards and took a deep breath before allowing his ghostly wail to briefly force a few rocks and rubble a few feet away. The guards all gasped in shock.

"You are!" one of the skeptics cried out. "You are Dragonborn!"

"You should return to Jarl Balgruuf," Irileth changed the subject. "He's expecting to know what happened here. My men and I will find survivors, and we will heal and attend to them before returning. But I must admit...I never took you for a mage."

"I'm on it!" Danny said, gratefully. He noticed in the shadow of a torch light, a small smile. A mage? Him?

He turned on his heel and rushed towards Whiterun.

Dragonborn? What the hell was that? Was it some fancy term for people who could do his ghostly wail? He shook his head. He would ask Balgruuf for an explanation. And a mage? Maybe it was because of his ecto-blasts.

He neared the gates when the ground below him trembled. Looking around, he noticed other people looking a little frightened, but it quickly ended. A loud boom was heard, before the faint words were thundered in the sky,

_"Dovahkiin!"_

What?

Danny decided to ignore it, and he rushed up towards Dragonsreach.

* * *

><p>Danny welcomed the warmth of Dragonsreach as he walked inside. He approached the Jarl, who was talking to Proventus and another man he didn't know.<p>

"You heard the summons. What else could it mean? The Greybeards," the man began, but stopped when the Jarl put his hand up. He stood up straight when Danny came closer.

"So, what happened at the watchtower?" he asked. "Was the dragon there?"

"The watchtower was destroyed, but we killed the dragon," Danny replied, breathless from the journey back.

"I knew I could count on you two," the Jarl smiled. "But there must be more to it than that."

"When the dragon died," Danny said, taking a deep breath. "I absorbed some kind of power from it."

"So its true!" the Jarl mused. "The Greybeards really were summoning you."

"The Greybeards?" Danny repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Masters of the Way of the Voice," Jarl Balgruuf explained. "They live in seclusion high on the slopes of the Throat of the World."

"What...what would they want with me?" the teen asked.

"The Dragonborn is said to be uniquely gifted in the Voice," the elder man continued. "The ability to focus your vital essense into a Thu'um, or Shout. If you're really Dragonborn, they'll want to talk to you. In the old stories, they always summon the Dragonborn for training."

"Didn't you hear the thundering sound as you returned to Whiterun?" the strange man asked Danny. He nodded his head. "That was the voice of the Greybeards, summoning you to High Hrothgar! This hasn't happened in...centuries, at least. Not since Tiber Septim himself was summoned when he was still Talos of Atmora!"

"Hrongar, calm yourself," Proventus told him. "What does any of this Nord nonsense have to do with our friend here? Capable as he may be, I don't see any signs of him/her being this, what, 'Dragonborn.'" Proventus glanced at Danny up to down before snubbing his nose up at him. Danny shot him a small galre.

"Nord nonsense?!" the man, Hrongar, roared. "Why you puffed-up ignorant! These are our sacred traditions that go back to the founding of the First Empire!"

"Hrongar, don't be so hard on Avenicci," the Jarl warned.

"I meant no disrespect, of course," Proventus half-apologized. "It's just that...what do these Greybeards want with _him?_"

"Hey!" Danny cried out, a little offended. Proventus looked a little embarrassed. "I'm good at what I do."

"That's the Greybeards' business, not ours," Balgruuf told his steward before turning to the teen. "Whatever happened when you killed that dragon, it revealed something in you, and the Greybeards heard it. If they think you're Dragonborn, who are we to argue? You'd better get up to High Hrothgar immediately. There's no refusing the summons of the Greybeards. It's a tremendous honor."

"So, uh, what exactly does Dragonborn mean?" Danny asked. He then winced, realizing how out of place that question might have seemed. The Jarl seemed to not mind it or find it weird at all.

"Well, in the old tales, the Dragonborn heroes would use the power of their Voice to defeat the enemies of Skyrim. Wulfharth was Dragonborn. Talos, too - the founder of the Empire, back in the good old days. In the very oldest tales, back from when there still were dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would slay dragons and steal their power," he explained. Danny barely grasped half of it, but nodded anyway. "Now, onto other business. You've done a great service for me and my city, Daniel Phantom the Dragonborn. By my right as Jarl, I name you Thane of Whiterun. It's the greatest honor that's within my power to grant. I assign you Lydia as a personal Housecarl. I'll also notify my guards of your new title. Wouldn't want them to think you're part of the common rabble, now would we? We are honored to have you as Thane of our city, Dragonborn."

Danny smiled. _Wow. In Amity, they're still suspicious of me, even after I defeated Pariah Dark. Fetch a tablet and slay a dragon here, and they titled you Thane._

"Thank you, Jarl Balgruuf," he smiled. "Uh, one last thing...Do you happen to know where I can find Vlad Plasmius, Whitecloak Rebellion leader?"

Balgruuf gave a slightly annoyed look.

"I would figure Windhelm, that is where he is Jarl," he replied. "Now, it is late. I'll have a maid escort you to a room, where you may stay for the night."

"You don't have to, I can stay at the inn!" Danny quickly responded.

"Nonsense!" he said, waving his hand. "I insist."

Danny smiled and followed a maid to a guest room. He stripped off his armor, safely tucked his bag in a safe location, turned back into Fenton and climbed into bed.

* * *

><p>He woke up early once again. Washing his face, he turned into his ghost half, put his bag on and his armor before walking out the door. He accepted a quick breakfast on the Jarl's insistence before moving to leave for the Greybeards.<p>

Danny approached the double doors when a dark haired woman in armor, which looked like the steel armor Ulfberth showed him, rushed towards him.

"Hello!" she said, extending her hand out to him. He awkwardly accepted it. "I'm Lydia. Your housecarl." She suddenly became a little shy, flushing lightly. "It's an honor to serve you...Dragonborn."

"Oh, uh, just call me Danny," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "So um...what exactly do you do?"

"Well, as a housecarl, I basically am your bodyguard, travel companion, pack mule, whatever you ask me to do," she explained. "Almost like a servant."

"Uh...okay," he said slowly. "So um...Lydia...want to accompany me to High Hrothgar?"

"Oh course, my thane!" she beamed. She quickly grabbed her shield and sword from it's spot leaning against the wall. She must have been waiting for him. "I am your sword, and your shield."

"Uh, call me Danny," he reminded her.

"Of course," she replied.

They walked outside of Dragonsreach in slightly awkward silence. Down the steps and down the path to the gates was filled with small talk about the weather.

"Look, you've already been told you're not allowed here," a guard was telling two dark-skinned people near the gate. They wore matching red and purple tunics with tan pants and boots. One wore a purple hood, the other didn't. "Turn around and go back the way you came."

"We're causing no trouble. All we ask is we retrieve her," one spoke. Lydia and Danny both paused, watching the scene. "We know she's here."

"I don't care what you're doing, after what happened you're lucky I don't toss you in jail. Now get lost."

The guard walked away before turning and shooing them. The unhooded one saw Danny and Lydia. He waved at them to come over. Lydia glanced at Danny, and he shrugged his shoulders and walked to him. She followed loyally.

"We are looking for someone in Whiterun, and will pay good money for you to bring them to us," he told them. Danny gasped lightly. The Infi-Map was on the guy's hip, right next to his sword.

"Uh, if I bring this somebody to you, would you give me that?" Danny asked, pointing to it. He glanced at it and shrugged.

"Sure," he agreed. "I have no use for it."

"Great!" Danny exclaimed. "So who am I bringing to you?"

"A woman," he began to speak. "A Redguard, like us. She's using the alternate identity Saadia. Please bring her to us. We are not welcome in Whiterun, so we will be in Rorikstead."

"We'll be there as soon as possible!" Danny promised. Lydia gave him a weird look. The Redguards looked pleased before they exited the city.

"Why are we doing this?" Lydia wanted to know, giving him a curious look. "I thought we were going to the Throat of the World."

"We are!" Danny exclaimed. He glanced at Lydia. "But, we really need to do this real quick, okay? It should take a day tops!"

Lydia rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"Of course, whatever you wish my tha-Danny. So where is this Saadia then?" Lydia asked. Danny shrugged his shoulders. "Any idea on where to look?"

"We can start in the inn?" Danny suggested.

"That sounds good," Lydia agreed, and they turned on their heels and walked towards the inn.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Danny Phantom! Desiree: -turns me into Butch Hartman- AHHHHHHHHH! CHANGE ME BACK CHANGE ME BACK! -is changed back-**

* * *

><p><strong>I decided to make Lydia around Danny's age, for the simple reason that I think they'd bond more as companions if they were closer in age. She's around 18-19 in this.<strong>

* * *

><p>Danny and Lydia walked into the Bannered Mare. Hulda gave her usual greeting, and Danny briefly waved back before they looked around.<p>

"So, uh, what do you think she looks like?" Danny questioned Lydia. She gave him a weird look, and he felt himself turn red.

"It's probably her," Lydia said in a hushed tone, subtly motioning to the dark-skinned cook. "She's the only Redguard I see in here."

"Right," Danny said slowly, biting his lower lip. "How are we going to convince her to go with us?"

The Redguard in question saw Danny and gave him another flirty smile before giving a wave. Lydia gasped lightly.

"Ask her to go on a walk with you!" Lydia told him in a hushed tone. Danny gave her a look of complete bewilderment.

"What!" Danny choked on his own spit.

"She has a crush on you," Lydia lightly snickered at him, but stopped at his glare. "Ask her to go on a walk, I'll wait and then I can spring her, tie her with rope and we can take a carriage to Rorikstead!"

"We can take a carriage?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We can pay as if we're going to Solitude but just have him drop us off in Rorikstead," she explained. Danny nodded, and he stared at the Redguard. Lydia pushed him lightly. "I'll meet you behind the stable just outside the city."

Danny gave her a light glare as she smirked. She turned on her heel and walked out out the Bannered Mare. He took a deep breath and walked up to her. She seemed surprised at first, but she pretended to not notice.

"Uh, hi," he spoke up, coughing lightly as he glanced around a bit awkwardly.

"I remember you, you were the boy waiting for his friend," she commented, smiling lightly before a small frown tugged at her lips. "Was your girlfriend your 'friend'?"

"What? Lydia! Oh, no! She's my housecarl," he explained. This peaked the girl's interest.

"Housecarl?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm...Thane. Of Whiterun. This place."

She giggled at his nervousness, making him flush.

"You're adorable. I'm Saadia."

She wiped her hand before offering it to him, and he briefly shook it.

"I'm Danny. Uh...wanna go for a small walk? Like, just maybe around the fields outside of Whiterun? When you're...done? With, what you're doing?"

"I'd love to," Saadia replied, face beaming. "I get off for a small break in about a half hour, if you don't mind waiting?"

"Not at all!"

Danny sat down at the bar, only to have the bard immediately sit down next to him.

"You're back," he observed.

"Only for a little bit. A half hourish," Danny replied. The man grinned.

"That's just enough time for a drink!" he announced, pounding his fist onto the bar. "Hulda! Two bottles of mead! On my tab!"

"Coming right up!" the woman replied. She was sweeping, but paused and put her broom against a wall so that she could stand on her tip toes to grab two bottles of mead.

"Uh, I don't know, I need my wits about me," Danny began to protest, but Mikael would not hear of it. He accepted the two bottles and put one in front of Danny.

_I guess a sip wouldn't hurt me too much,_ he pondered, slowly grasping it. _Then again, I've never drunk before. But I can't get drunk off of a few sips, right? Maybe a little tipsy, but not too drunk to take Saadia to where Lydia is hiding. _

Danny glanced at the bard before taking a sip of it. It was sweet, almost like honey with a pleasant, burning aftertaste. He took a small drink, but put it on the table, determined to make sure he didn't get drunk or something.

Mikael had already finished half of his drink in one, long gulp. He gave a small burp before glancing at the label on his bottle.

"So what brings you to Whiterun?" Mikael wondered aloud before taking another sip. "I've never seen you here until the day you kicked my ass."

"Business," Danny told him, deciding to keep the answer short. He mimicked Mikael by taking another, short sip of his mead.

"Business," Mikael echoed, his voice a bit low in interest. "What do you do?"

"Uh...well, I used to go to school and I worked fighting gho-...bad guys, but...I...uh...I was tracking Plasmius, and next thing I know, I'm here," Danny replied, his cheeks flushing as he thought of the least weird way to phrase it to the bard.

"College student and bounty hunter!" Mikael whistled lowly. "What college?"

Danny pressed his bottle against his lips, pretending to take a long drink in order to give him time to think.

_What do I say, what do I say, what do I say, oh God what do I say?_

"Was it the Arcane University?" Hulda spoke up. She glanced up from her work at Danny.

"Yes!" Danny blurted out.

"You were an Arcane University student?" Mikael asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at him, a mixture of surprised and skepticism.

"Is there a problem with that?" Danny wondered, raising an eyebrow right back. Mikael broke his look to shrug and take another drink.

"Just didn't see you as the mage type," came the casual reply.

_So Arcane University is apparently some sort of mage college...Ah well, might as well roll with it. People seem to think I'm a mage anyway._

"Well, I am," Danny replied. Even he could tell his own voice was shaking with slight uncertainty.

"What branch do you study?"

Danny narrowed his eyes at him.

"Why are you asking me so many questions?" he asked back. Mikael raised a hand in defense.

"Fair enough," he replied. "Hulda, another mead? Well ask me something then."

"Uh, well," Danny stammered some, rubbing the back of his neck. "How'd you get into the bard business?"

"Well, people always said that I was a good lute player, so I enrolled at the Bard's College in Solitude, got some professional training and have been in the bard game for nearly seven years now," came the reply, along with another gulp of mead and a burp. Danny winced slightly. Now he understood why Jazz and his mom always got on him for saying excuse me after burping. It was kinda gross.

Danny felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see Saadia.

"I'll be ready in a minute, I'm just going to freshen up," she told him. He nodded, and she walked into a back room. Mikael let out a low whistle.

"Saadia? She's a wild one," Mikael chuckled. "Where are you two off to?"

"Oh, we're just going for a walk outside of Whiterun," he replied, taking another short sip of the mostly full bottle of mead.

"I get it," the bard chuckled. Danny gave him a small look of confusion as the bard stood up, digging into his pocket. He threw a small bottle at Danny, who scrambled to catch it. "This will help you. I'll see you later, I gotta get back to work."

Danny held up the bottle of the green liquid, squinting at it. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hulda shaking her head, sighing at Mikael.

"Uh, what is this?" Danny asked hesitantly, putting the bottle on the counter. Hulda picked it up and shot it only a short look before handing it back to him.

"Potion of stamina," she replied. "Gives you more energy."

Danny's eyes widened at the small bottle before his face exploded in a dark red. He immediately turned, putting his hands on his face and using some light ice powers to try and fade the dark coloring away.

Saadia came out a moment later, and Danny allowed her to link their arms. They walked out of the Bannered Mare and down the road towards the city gates. There was only light conversation concerning the weather and the inn. Danny felt his heart pound a bit in nervousness as they approached towards where the stables were. Was Lydia ready?

He noticed Lydia peer out from the stable. Saadia didn't seem to notice, her focus on the giant cats and making a small comment concerning them. Lydia motioned for Danny to come closer.

"Hey, Saadia? Wanna go pet the horses? They're really friendly, I'm sure the owner will let us feed them a carrot or apple," Danny spoke up.

"Okay!" Saadia eagerly agreed. "I love horses."

Danny smiled.

They changed paths towards the stable. The stablemaster wasn't in sight, but the black horse from the other day seemed to recognize Danny, for she neighed loudly and immediately pressed her nose into his shoulder. He patted her neck and scratched her nose.

"She really likes you," Saadia commented, smiling before petting another one of the horses.

Danny glanced around for Lydia. Where was she? She was just there.

Before he could wonder more, he heard a cry of surprise next to him. He turned to see Lydia sitting on Saadia's back, holding her wrists behind her back and was tying them securely. She then wrapped a piece of clothe around Saadia's head to cover her mouth.

"Got her!" Lydia chirped, looking up at Danny. She glanced behind her. "Should we tie her legs too?"

"Probably," Danny replied, and he held her down while Lydia binded the Redguard's legs.

"I'll get the carriage if you can get her," Lydia offered. Danny nodded, so Lydia stood and rushed towards a carriage he hadn't noticed before. She ran up the driver and began a conversation while Danny hoisted the bound girl to her feet. He pulled her over his shoulder and walked towards the carriage. Lydia nodded and gave the driver some coins before hopping up onto the back of the carriage. Danny handed her the Redguard, and she pulled her onto the carriage before sitting. Danny stepped up onto the carriage and slipped into a seat across from Lydia.

A few minutes into the ride, Danny finally spoke up.

"Hey, Lydia?"

"Yes, my th-Danny? Do you need something?"

"Actually, I could use some information," he began. "Do you know anything about the Whitecloaks and Plasmius? Like, where they are and any details on how this whole thing started?"

Lydia's expression turned into a frown.

"You're new to Skyrim," she observed as she glanced behind them. Whiterun was already becoming a slowly smaller and smaller dot in the distance.

"I came from Amity Park," he said. He sighed in frustration at the weird look, and added, "It's near the Imperial City."

"Oh!" she said, a look of knowing hitting her. _I should probably just start saying I'm from the Imperial City._ "So, what exactly do you want to know, sweetie?"

"I need to know everything you can tell me," Danny replied. Lydia rose an eyebrow, but began to tell him what happened.

"It began when Vlad Plasmius came to Skyrim," she began. "I don't know how he got here. Nobody knows. A few claim that he came down from the sky, but I don't believe that." Danny could. "But he immediately set course for the Greybeards. You know who they are, right?"

"The Jarl told me," he replied. She nodded, and continued.

"It was rumored that he knew somebody who could shout like the Greybeards, but he called it a wail, and demanded that they teach him too. They Greybeards apparently took him as a student, and they trained him in the Way of the Voice," she explained. "He was kicked out, but nobody ever knows why. Next thing we know, he took charge of Windhelm. Windhelm's Jarl was killed by whom many suspect to be a Dark Brotherhood assassin, and Plasmius stepped into his place." She bit her lip slightly. "I'll admit, he did fix Windhelm up a bit. I mean, some travelers tell me it's still awful but nowhere near as bad as it used to be. Then…he learned of the White-Gold Concordat, which lead to him-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Danny spoke, cutting her off. "But what's the White-Gold Concordat?"

"It's a treaty between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion that ended the Great War," she explained. "It formally disbanded the Blades, delivered a large portion of southern Hammerfell to the control of the Aldmeri Dominion and outlawed the worship of Talos. Emperor Titus Mede II made these concessions to the Thalmor hierarchy in order to give the Imperial Legion time to recover its strength, as it had been decimated in the Battle of the Red Ring, but the people of Skyrim were outraged. Talos originated from Skyrim and has been a beloved deity of the people of Skyrim for generations."

"So, when did this rebellion start?" Danny wondered, raising an eyebrow, nearly slipping out of his seat when the carriage went over a bump.

"You okay?" she asked. He nodded. "A little over a month ago," she sighed, continuing. "If I'm correct, it began when Plasmius learned the outrage over the anti-Talos worship. He…he almost feeds and relies on that to get the Nords to follow him. A few other races follow too, but it's mostly Nords. Then, the Markarth Incident happened.

"Basically, Plasmius used the thu'um to achieve a victory while leading troops to recapture the Reach from Forsworn control. When it was returned to Imperial control, the free worship of Talos was officially permitted, but the Thalmor were outraged. The Empire eventually re-banned it, and then it really started to heat up. But the spark was the Death of Torygg."

"Torygg?" Danny questioned.

"He is…was…the High King of Skyrim. Upon the death of High King Istlod, the Moot was convened to formally name his son, Torygg, as the new High King. Though the Moot only convenes as a formality when a High King dies with a direct heir, Plasmius used the forum to voice his desire for independence from the Empire. Torygg knew Plasmius as a war hero and respected him to a certain degree. Soon after, Plasmius traveled to Solitude to see the young High King. Torygg and his court believed Plasmius had come to further discuss his desire for Skyrim's independence, and welcomed him. By the time they realized Plasmius was there to challenge Torygg, it was too late to stop it. Under ancient Nordic traditions, Torygg had no choice but to accept Plasmius's challenge for the throne, lest he risk losing face for an act of cowardice, which would lead to a recall of the Moot and likely his deposal as High King.

"People are…torn on what happens after that. According to Plasmius, he knocked Torygg to the ground with the thu'um, then dispatched him with a sword. Others claim that Plasmius's shout literally tore the young High King to pieces. Plasmius's supporters claimed that Torygg was a traitor to his people who deserved to die and that the victory rightfully made him the new High King. Plasmius's detractors insist that there was nothing honorable about his challenge, and they view Torygg's death as unforgivable."

Danny remained silent, thinking as he processed all of this new information. Lydia kept stealing glanced at him.

"What do you think?" he asked her, breaking the silence. "Do you think his death was unforgivable?"

Lydia pressed her lips together.

"Yes," she said softly. "Yes I do. I know I'm a Nord and Vlad's fighting to keep Skyrim for the Nords, but I don't see any honor in that unfair of a fight. What do you think, my th-Danny?"

"I know Plasmius," Danny replied bitterly. Lydia seemed surprised. "I knew him before we came to Skyrim, and I know him enough to know that he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. He's harmed my friends, he's put a bounty on my head, he's constantly trying to kill my dad and marry my mom, the guy's a fruitloop!"

"A...fruitloop?" Lydia repeated slowly, blinking slowly at the new term. Danny nodded, and Lydia smiled. "Fruitloop."

"Yup," Danny sighed, unable to help a small smile himself.

"So, we're going to the Greybeards after this," Lydia spoke a bit uncertain, but Danny nodded.

"Do you have a map?" Danny asked. Lydia shook her head no, and the halfa dug into his bag and pulled out his map, handing it to her. "I need you to meet me at the town closest to the mountain."

"Why not travel together?" Lydia wondered.

"Because once I get the map from the guys who want Saadia, I need to go home real quick," Danny responded. Lydia's expression fell.

"You can't leave!" she cried out. "You're the Dragonborn! You're...you're supposed to protect us! Do something about the dragons, and, and, and Plasmius! You can't just _go back to Cyrodill!_"

"I promise, I will be back by tomorrow," Danny replied quickly. "I swear, I am not abandoning Skyrim. I just need to go home for a really short time, let my family know where I'll be."

"But it takes almost three weeks to get to the Imperial City from Rorkistead!" Lydia protested, giving a frown.

"I swear to you Lydia, I will be at the city. Now, which city should it be? Oh, well we could just go there from Whiterun, see?" Danny spoke, motioning to the suggested path to Lydia. The housecarl shook her head.

"No, my thane."

"It's Danny."

"Sorry," Lydia apologized. She motioned around the mountain and through a path in between it and a town called Riften. "We have to go around to walk the 7,000 steps. We'd be meeting up in Ivarstead."

Danny grinned sheepishly.

"Okay then, I will meet you in Ivarstead. How long would it take you to meet me there?"

Lydia's eyes rolled off to the side as she mentally calculated.

"I'd say about two days maximum," she replied. "I can get a carriage to Riften and then walk to Ivarstead in about two days."

"We're here," the carriage driver announced. Danny leaned over the side to glance at the small town grow bigger and bigger.

"We'll discuss this more after we get your map," Lydia suggested. Danny nodded, and the carriage driver began to pull them into the town.


End file.
